MTN Ghana has moved quickly to cut the cost of its services, announcing a broad reduction in tariffs across its entire product range, effective January 2, 2026. The telecom giant becomes one of the first major players to officially adjust prices following the government’s latest VAT reforms.
Subscribers were informed through a broadcast message sent out on Friday, January 2, with MTN directing customers to its official website for a full breakdown of the new charges. The move comes on the back of sweeping tax changes by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), measures that are meant to ease pressure on households while giving businesses some breathing space.
At the heart of the reforms is the reduction of the standard VAT rate to 20 percent. That alone has created room for price adjustments. But it does not end there.
One major relief comes from the abolition of the COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy. Introduced during the pandemic, the levy added extra cost to everyday consumption. Its removal has immediately lowered the tax burden on services such as telecoms.
There is also the re-coupling of the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) and the GETFund levy. This change allows companies like MTN to properly claim input tax credits, improving cash flow and reducing their effective tax costs. In addition, the VAT Flat Rate Scheme has been scrapped, a move the GRA says will create a fairer and more transparent tax system.
MTN’s decision aligns closely with President John Dramani Mahama’s 2026 New Year message, where he outlined a national focus on “acceleration and expansion.” According to the President, the country has emerged from a difficult 2024, with inflation dropping sharply from around 23 percent to a projected single-digit rate, just above 5 percent, by the end of 2025.
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“In 2026, we shall accelerate and expand,” Mahama said, urging the private sector to innovate and scale up.
Beyond cheaper call, data and digital services, the tax reforms include another key change: the VAT registration threshold has been raised from GH¢200,000 to GH¢750,000. This is expected to free many micro and small businesses from the burden of VAT compliance, a move analysts believe could boost growth, especially in the digital and informal sectors.
For the ordinary MTN subscriber, the impact is more straightforward. Lower tariffs mean immediate savings at a time when many Ghanaians are still recovering from years of high prices and economic strain. Whether other telecom operators will follow MTN’s lead is now the big question on the minds of consumers.
